Sport shirt collar with folddefining means



June 22, 1954 R, ADAMS SPORT SHIRT COLLAR WITH FOLD-DEFINING MEANS Filed April 5. 1952 Mmmmmmm w Patented June 22, 1954 SPORT SHIRT COLLAR WITH FOLD- DEFINING MEANS Ralph Adams, Macon, Ga.

Application April 5, 1952, Serial No. 280,837

3 Claims.

This invention pertains to garments having at tached collars which are designed to be worn either open or closed, more `especially to sport shirts or the like.

Sport shirts are distinguished iron?. dress shirts in Various particulars but more especially as to the .collar construction. Since `sport shirt is designed in the expectation that the collar will usually `be worn open, the collar band, which forms a customary part oi the dress shirt, is omitted, the collar being `attacl'ied directly to the shirt proper. However, the user `oi a sport shirt sometimes wishes to wear the shirt with the collar closed `and with a necktie and by reason of this fact attempts have recently been made to design sport shirts for such dual use.

`In a dress` shirt, the nechband of the collar provides a` definite fold line about which the top portion of the collar is folded but since the neckband is absent from a sport shirt collar, the fold line, when the collar is turned over, is liable to be irregular and particularly, when the collar is worn closed, the collar may be of different heights at opposite sides and may not set properly. lt has heretofore been proposed to interpose a stiifener element or elements of suitable shape between th front and rear plies of the collar with the object of dening a fold line. However, the pron vision of such an intervening stifiener necessitates the employment of additional material; the operation of cutting this material to the proper shape; the insertion of the stiilener elements between the frontend rear plies of the collar proper, and the accurate retention of these stiiener elements at theproper locations until they have been permanently fixed in place, all of which add sub stantially to the cost of production.

I have now discovered that the desired result may be obtained, that is to the accurate loca tion of a definite fold line in a sport shirt collar, in a very simple and inexpensive way and without necessitating the employment of additional parts or stiiener elements.

Thus in accordance with the present invention the provision of an accurate fold line is obtained by suitably uniting the front and rear plies oi the collar proper by suitably located lines of stitches.

The attainment of this object is exemplied in the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the upper portion oi a sport shirt embodying the present invention, the collar being shown in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the collar in open position Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the collar before its attachment to the shirt body;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line t-ii of Fig. 3, to much larger scale, and showing the fabric plies of abnormal thickness; i

Fig. 4a is a section similar to Fig. 4 but illustrating a collar of two-ply construction; and` Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing how the fold line is related to the fold-defining means.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l0 designates a turnover collar embodying the pressl ent invention and which is shown as attached to the shirt Ii, the lower portion of the shirt being` broken away. As illustrated in Fig. 4, thecollar consists of three plies of textile fabric, including the front ply I2, the rear ply I3 and the lining; ply ifi. These three plies are all of substantially the saine size and contour and except for the stitches hereinafter described comprise the-entire collar. The corresponding edges of 'these plies are arranged in substantial registry and the upper and end edges are in-folded in accordance with ust.. l lli (Fig. e) and are united by the sewed seam S.

As here illustrated the lower edges l5` of the several plies are in registry and substantially straight and are designed to be secured directly'- to the body of the shirt by a seam (not shownl which unites the several plies while attaching them to the shirt body. As here illustrated, the" end edges il and i3 of the collar terminate at ther front of the collar in points 'ila and lBa, these' end edges I l and I8 forming the front ends of the collar when the latter is worn as shown in Figs.

l and 2. As here illustrated, the upper corners IST and 20 of the front flaps of the shirt bodyare provided with separable fasteners such as theloop 2l and button 22 by means of which the collar may be held in the upright, closed Fig. l.

In accordance with the present invention there is an area A (Fig. 3) of the collar (symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center of the` collar) which is bounded at its lower part byaV sewed seam 23, extending parallel to the lower edges I6 of the collar plies and which terminates at the points 24 and 25 which are spaced from the adjacent end edges il and l8`oi the collar. This area A is also bounded by an upwardly convex sewed seam 26 which intersects the seam 23Y at the points 2li and 25 where the seam 25 also' of the collar a distance approximating onehalf the height of the collar at its center point, and` the points 24 and 25 may be spaced from the adjacent end edges Il and it of thecollar a distance practice in collar manufacture, as shown at" position of*` The central point of the curved' approximating one-iifth the length of the lower edge I6 of the collar.

The stitches which form the seams 23 and 26 pass through all three plies of the collar, as shown in Fig. 4, and draw the front and rear plies into direct and close engagement with the liner ply I4 no other parts intervening between the liner and the front and rear plies. As thus arranged, the arched area A functions as a stiiener for the collar, and when the collar is folded, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, the fold F automatically falls along a line substantially parallel to the curved seam 26. Since the seams 23 and 26 terminate at the points 24 and 25, which are spaced from the end edges I1 and I8 of the collar, they are not visible from the front when the collar is worn and thus do not detract from the appearance of the collar.

The formation of these seams 23 and 2E at the proper location is a relatively simple matter, well within the skill of the usual operator in a shirt factory, the location of these seams being facilitated, if desired, by a simple marking of one of the plies, and since the operation does not necessitate the positioning of a separate stiffener element of less area than the front and rear ply, there is no possibility of the inaccurate placement of any of the parts due to slippage before the parts can be secured together.

Thus by this means, in a very simple and inexpensive way, an accurate fold line is provided which is found to be just as effective as though some extraneous and supplementary stiener element were interposed between the front and rear plies.

While in the arrangement of Fig. 4 the collar is shown as comprising an interliner ply is of the same dimensions as the front and rear plies I2 and I3 it is possible to make a two-ply collar, as shown in Fig. 411 embodying the same inventive concept, the only difference, as compared with the collar of Fig. 4, being that the interliner ply I4 is omitted, the stitches of the seams 23 and 26 then drawing the front and rear plies into direct contact with each other. construction may be useful when the fabric employed in making the front and rear pliesl is unusually heavy or, on the other hand, when it is desired to make a collar which is especially soft and flexible. In any event, whether two plies or three plies are used, the provision of the area A, bounded by the straight and curved seams 23 and 26, and without includingany other plies of material than those which form the collar proper, insures a denite fold line which permits the lcollar to be worn in the upright position of Fig. 1 with assurance that the collar will be symmetrical and of the same height at opposite sides, as well as when worn in the open position of Fig. 2.

While certain desirable embodiments of the invention have been illustrated by way of example it is to be understood that the invention is broadly inclusive of any and all modications falling within the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A sport shirt collar devoid of neckband comprising a plurality of independent unstiffened plies of material, all of substantially the saine Y sizeand contour and having their corresponding each other and designed for attachment directly Such a two-ply to a shirt body, the several plies being coextensive in length and width and being separate from one another between the upper and lower edges except for an area deiined by two lines of stitches, one comprising a substantially straight seam parallel to but spaced from the lower edge of the collar and the other line of stitches comprising an upwardly convex seam which joins the straight seam at the opposite ends of the latter, the prolongation of the convex seam line intersecting the lower edges of the collar plies at a point substantially spaced from the ends of the collar, the stitches constituting said seams passing through the several independent plies and drawing adjacent plies into direct contact with each other. the convex seam being operative to locate a line about which the collar will fold.

2. A sport shirt collar according to claim 1, wherein the straight seam is spaced from a lower edge of the collar a distance approximately onefourth the height of the collar, the central point of the curved seam is spaced from the upper edge of the collar a distance approximately onehalf the height of the collar, and each respective point at which the seams intersect is spaced from the proximate end of the collar a distance not substantially less than one-fifth the length of the lower edge of the collar.

3. A sport shirt having a collar, said collar being devoid of neckband and comprising a plurality of independent, unstiffened plies of material, said plies being coextensive in length and width and of substantially the same contour with their corresponding edges in registry, one at least of said plies being a front ply and another of said plies being a rear ply, the upper and end edges of the front and rear plies being infolded and united by a sewed seam to each other, and their registering, lower edges being directly and permanently attached to the shirt body, the several plies being separate from one another between the upper and lower edges of the collar except for an area of lenticular contour defined by two lines of stitches, one line forming a substantially straight seam parallel to but spaced from the lower edge of the collar and the other line of stitches forming an upwardly convexV seam which joins the straight seam at the opposite ends of the latter, the prolongation of the convex seamline intersecting the lower edges of the collar plies at a point substantially spaced from the ends of the collar, the highest point of the convex seam being midway between the ends of the collar, the respective points of intersection of the seams being spa-ced from the proximate ends of the collar a distance not substantially less than one-fth the length of the lower edge of the collar, the stitches constituting said seams passing through the independent front and rear plies and drawing adjacent plies of the collar into direct contact with each other, the convex seam being operative to locate a line about which the collar will fold.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

